Hand In Mine
by Chayo1197
Summary: Oneshot based in 'Changes' Universe. Finn and Puck go to a small procession for one of Finn's friends. Puck realizes that one day Finn will be the one under that flag.


I work at a Veterans Hospital, so I see a few of these every so often. It doesn't matter how many times I see it though, it's always sad.

* * *

><p>"Puck, come on!"<p>

Puck groaned and shoved his foot into his shoe, regretting it almost instantly as a sharp pain shot up his ankle. "Hold onto your shit, Hudson, I'm almost done!"

Finn was already dressed, ready to go. He had been since seven that morning, and the damn thing didn't even start until ten. Finn told Puck that he could go by himself, but Puck said that he would go. It was important to Finn, so it was important to Puck too.

They had gotten the call yesterday around nine in the morning. Finn had been happy when Carole announced that he had gotten a call from some kid named Colton. Puck remembered the name. Finn called the guy every so often. They had been stationed at the same place overseas once, and had gotten really tight. Somehow, Colton had gotten wind that Finn had gone back home after being injured, and as luck would have it, Colton was back home as well. He was in Columbus at one of the Veteran Hospitals, having gotten an arm blown off.

Puck thought that was the worst case scenario, and figured the guy would be depressed about it. But Finn didn't seem fazed by the news. Then again, Finn had probably seen plenty of limbs being blown off.

Colton was in pretty good spirits too. "Hey, at least I came back at all." He said with a wide grin. They had gone to Columbus to visit him once, a few days after he got back from Afganistan. He was a cute guy, Puck had to admit, with sandy blonde hair and freckles speckling his baby face. He looked like he could be someone's little brother. Probably was. He was so freaking young. Too young to be sitting in some home for Veterans.

Finn sat and the two talked for hours about the service, about what was going on in their lives. Puck sat next to Finn patiently, this having been one of the very few times he heard Finn talk so much since getting home.

Sure, he talked to Puck about some stuff, but sometimes Puck didn't understand the way another soldier could. Finn never got frustrated with him, though. He just smiled and kissed Puck's cheek and thanked him for being there, and Puck would roll his eyes, but his heart would swell at Finn's words.

But the phone call last night made Puck's heart break a little. It wasn't Colton that had called. It had been his mom, calling Finn to tell him that Colton had passed away that afternoon due to some kind of complication with his arm, and they were going to have a small precession for him the following morning and he and Puck were invited.

Which is how Puck found himself driving to at eight in the morning, after being rushed through a shower and breakfast. Finn tapped his good leg the entire ride, and Puck could actually feel how restless he was. Halfway on the road to Columbus, Puck reached over and grabbed Finn's hand, squeezing it gently.

Puck figured such a small movement was useless, but when Finn squeezed his hand back and stopped tapping his foot, Puck felt better.

When they got there, both of the men knew exactly where to go. Thankfully, the hospital staff hadn't changed Colton's room. There were a few older men in wheelchairs waiting to the sides of the hallway. Most of them were bald, or silver hair that was slowly disappearing. Their skin was wrinkled, dotted with age spots. Next to the room, one man, who looked about ready to fall over in his wheelchair, held an American flag in his fragile hands. All of these men had survived a war in their time. They had all seen horrific things, endured things Puck couldn't even begin to imagine, but they were all here, with tears in their eyes, bearing with another loss.

Puck glanced at the small crowd before he followed Finn into Colton's room.

Colton's mom, a silver-haired woman, stood next to the stretcher, clutching her purse. She seemed fairly put together, until Finn limped over and pulled her into his arm, leaning heavily onto his cane. She let out a sob and clung to him, babbling incoherently. Puck took a step back, suddenly feeling as if he were intruding on them. Unsure of what exactly to do, he looked down.

On the stretcher was Colton's body, covered completely by a large American flag. It seemed so wrong, that a man so young, no older that he or Finn, had died like this. In a hospital that was more like an old folks' home. He should have been out in the world, working, raising a family. Not this.

A cold realization hit Puck that one day, this would be Finn.

One day Finn would be here, lying under that flag, and it would be Puck clinging to someone, crying, trying to relieve some of the unbearable pain in his heart.

For a moment it felt like Puck couldn't breathe. He tugged at the collar of his shirt and licked his lips nervously. He was five seconds away from telling Finn that he'd wait outside before he a pair of lips against his cheek. He looked up, and Finn gave him a small, slightly sad, smile. "C'mon."

Puck gave a hesitant nod.

Seeing that Colton's mom was still clinging to Finn's other side, Puck hovered to Finn's other side, and followed as a nurse played Taps on a small boom box. Another nurse maneuvered behind Puck to push the stretcher, and when they got to the doorway, another nurse pushed the old man with the flag in front of Colton's body.

He led the procession down the hallway as people watched on. Those who were bedridden had their doors open, and they were all sitting up, no matter how fragile, a hand at their forehead raised in salute.

Puck was a little unnerved at it. It scared him to think that this could have happened to Finn. That he would be walking next to Burt, holding Carole up as she cried into his shoulder. That he would be watching Finn be pushed down a hallway full of men who were broken by war.

A warm hand squeezing his brought him from his morbid thoughts, and he glanced up to catch Finn's warm eyes on him.

For now, it wasn't Finn.

Maybe one day it might be.

But Puck knew that it didn't matter. He was here now.

Puck squeezed his hand back.


End file.
